This is the Timex Atelier Marine M1a, it’s one of the most high-end watches ever released by the storied American watchmaking company – and unusually – each is made in Switzerland using an automatic Swiss movement.
Each of these watches has a skeletonized stainless steel case, a double-curved sapphire crystal, a self-adjustable stainless steel bracelet (or a black NBR synthetic rubber strap), and they are water resistant to 200 meters. The MSRP starts at $950 USD, far lower than what you might expect for a Swiss-powered, Swiss-made automatic.
The Timex Atelier Marine M1a 1 comes with your choice of a stainless steel bracelet, or a black NBR synthetic rubber strap.
History Speedrun: Timex
The history of Timex begins in 1854 with the founding of the Waterbury Clock Company in Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley, an area that was then called “the Switzerland of America” for its high concentration of clockmakers.
Waterbury became known for mass-produced, affordable timepieces, producing the popular “Yankee” pocketwatch in 1895 which sold for just one dollar, and democratized watch ownership – the Yankee was essentially the iPhone of its time.
Skipping forward to 1941, amid WWII-era wartime demand, the company reorganized as US Time Corporation. It then leveraged its expertise in mass production to supply military instruments, including fuses for artillery shells. After the war, US Time shifted back toward civilian-oriented products, developing a tough wristwatch movement that could be sold cheaply while withstanding significant abuse.
This led to the famous “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking” marketing campaign of the 1950s and 1960s, which forever established Timex as a household name in the USA and boosted its sales worldwide – long before the arrival of cheap Japanese quartz watches.
By the 1970s, Timex was producing a wide variety of watches, from mechanical to early digital models, but the brand faced stiff competition during the quartz revolution. The company closed several factories, including its long-standing operations in Waterbury, and shifted manufacturing abroad to stay competitive.
The watch has an enamel dial and a ceramic bezel inlay, and the Swiss-made Catena SA 100 automatic movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, it has 29 jewels, and it offers a 36 hour power reserve.
Timex remained in the game with affordable quartz watches during this period that kept its mass-market appeal intact. One of the company’s most successful watches was released in 1986 – the Timex Ironman – a digital sports watch that quickly became the best-selling watch in America.
Today, Timex operates as Timex Group, with headquarters in Middlebury, Connecticut, and manufacturing spanning Asia and Europe. The brand has carefully repositioned itself by offering classically-styled heritage reissues alongside more modern designs.
The Timex Atelier Marine M1a
The Timex Atelier Marine M1a is a new, high-end design from the legendary American watch company that is made in Switzerland, and powered by a Swiss automatic movement.
Each has a skeletonized stainless steel case and a double-curved sapphire crystal, as well as a self-adjustable stainless steel bracelet and Swiss Luminova lume to provide a glow on the hands and markers in low-light conditions.
Each watch has a skeletonized stainless steel case and a double-curved sapphire crystal, as well as a self-adjustable stainless steel bracelet and Swiss Luminova lume to provide a glow on the hands and markers in low-light conditions.
The watch has an enamel dial and a ceramic bezel inlay, and the Swiss-made Catena SA 100 automatic movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, it has 29 jewels, and it offers a 36 hour power reserve.
It’s now available to buy direct from Timex here and it comes with your choice of a stainless steel bracelet, or a black NBR synthetic rubber strap.
Images courtesy of Timex
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
